DeNA, the developers behind Pokemon TCG Pocket, have committed to enhancing the game's trading feature following significant player feedback. Here’s a detailed look at the reasons behind the community's dissatisfaction.

Pokemon TCG Pocket Players’ Complaints About the Game’s Latest Update

TCG Pocket’s Trade Tokens are Quite Expensive to Obtain

The trading feature, introduced on January 29, 2025, in Pokemon TCG Pocket, has stirred considerable unrest among players. This feature allows trading of 1-4 Diamonds and 1-Star rarity cards from Genetic Apex and Mythical Island booster packs. While it's a valuable tool for completing Poke Dex collections, the limitations—such as restricted card selections, a new in-game currency, and high trading costs—have left many players frustrated.

In response to the backlash, DeNA announced on February 1, 2025, via Twitter (X) that they are "actively investigating ways to improve the feature to address these concerns." They plan to introduce multiple methods for obtaining trade tokens, including event distributions. Currently, players can only trade up to 1-Star cards using these tokens, which are acquired by sacrificing higher rarity cards. For example, trading a 4-Diamond card (an ex Pokemon) requires 500 tokens, yet players can only earn 100 tokens for a 1-Star card and 300 for 2-Star and 3-Star cards, forcing them to use multiple or rare cards for trading.

DeNA justified the stringent trading rules, stating, "The item requirements and restrictions implemented for the trading feature were designed to prevent abuse from bots and other prohibited actions using multiple accounts. Our goal was to balance the game while maintaining a fair environment for all players and preserving the fun of collecting cards that is core to the Pokemon TCG Pocket experience." While further changes remain undisclosed, it's clear that DeNA is focused on preventing exploitation before rolling out updates.

Genetic Apex Seemingly Disappears After Space-Time Smackdown’s Release

Another issue arose with the release of the Space-Time Smackdown booster packs on January 29, 2025. Players expressed concerns on Reddit about the apparent disappearance of Genetic Apex booster packs, as only Mythical Island and Space-Time Smackdown packs were visible on the home screen.

However, the Genetic Apex packs are still accessible through the "Select other booster packs" option at the bottom right corner of the pack selection screen. The small text size may have contributed to the confusion, leading some to believe the first booster pack was removed to promote the new releases. While this could be a marketing strategy, it has left some players unable to complete their collections from the initial set. Suggestions have been made for DeNA to update the home screen to display all available booster packs to prevent further confusion.

Although DeNA has not yet addressed this issue directly, this clarification should reassure players that they can continue working on their Genetic Apex collections.